Polyester sulfonates containing quaternary ammonium groups

ABSTRACT

This invention relates to polyester sulfonates containing quaternary ammonium groups, obtainable by polycondensation of Nalkyl-dialkanolamines with maleic acid and quaternizing of the polyester with sultones or haloalkanesulfonic acids. By reaction with alkali metal hydrogensulfite, additional sulfonic acid groups can be introduced into the polyester molecule. The polyester salts are utilizable as soil suspension agents in washing agents.

AU 165 EX United States Patent [191 Schmadel Mar. 25, 1975 POLYESTER SULFONATES CONTAINING 3.080.280 3/1963 Lindner 2.60/48] R QUATERNARY AMMONIUM GROUPS 3.563.905 2/l97l Schmadel et al. 252/545 3,816,378 6/1974 Schmadel 260/48! R lnventor: Edmund Schmadel, Mettmann,

Germany Assignees Henkel & Cie GmbH. Dusseldorf.

Germany Filed: Oct. [3, 1971 Appl. No.: 188,887

Foreign Application Priority Data Nov. 4, 1970 Germany 2054098 US. Cl 260/481 R, 252/99, 252/526, 252/545, 260/75 N Int. Cl. C07c 143/14 Field of Search 260/481 R, 75 N, 75 S; 252/527 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3/l96l Lindner 260/48] R OTHER PUBLICATlONS Henkel et al., C.A.. 7] 829l7g, (I969). March, Adv. Organic Chemistry." N.Y.. (1968). pp. 584585, 589.

McGraw-Hill Primary E.\'amim'r.lohn F. Terapanc Attorney, Again. or FirmHammond & Littcll [57] ABSTRACT THE PRIOR ART It has been known to add substances which improve the soil suspension power of the washing liquors to washing and cleaning agents that contain surface-active compounds. Such substances, commonly called soil suspension agents or greying inhibitors, prevent a resorption of the detached soil on the cleaned surfaces. They are mostly polyanionic polymers, that are prepared either from natural substances, such as cellulose, gelatin or glue or by polymerization of vinyl compounds, such as acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, maleic acid or their mixtures with copolymerizable olefins. The polysulfonates of vinyl polymers have also been recommended as greying-inhibiting aditives to washing and cleansing agents. However, only carboxymethylcellulose has, of the compounds considered, obtained any great technical importance, particularly as it surpasses, in its greying-inhibiting effect, numerous known synthetic polymers. Carboxymethylcellulose and also the other synthetic polymers named have, however, the disadvantage that their greying-preventing effect is limited to cellulosic fibers. They are largely ineffective in the washing of synthetic fiber materials, chemically changed cellulose or finished cotton. This disadvantage is particularly observable in white textiles from polyester or polyolefin fibers, non-iron finished cotton and in mixed fabrics of the so-called synthetic fibers with cellulose fibers, which become grey, in spite of frequent washing, and thus become unattractive.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is the development ofa soil suspension agent which avoids the drawbacks of the prior art agents and which is effective with textiles of synthetic fibers.

Another object of the present invention is the development of a polyester sulfonate containing quaternary ammonium groups, suitable for use in washing agents as a soil suspension agent, having the formula ofa process for cleansing textiles which comprises immersing soiled textiles in a conventional neutral to al kaline aqueous washing liquor bath containing from 0.005 to l gm/liter of the above polyester sulfonate, containing quaternary ammonium groups, for a time sufficient to effect cleansing, whereby redeposit of suspended soil is substantially avoided, and removing said cleansed textiles.

A yet further object of the invention is the development of washing agent compositions based on anionic, non-ionic and amphoteric surface-active compounds and builder salts, containing from 0.l to 20% by weight of the above polyester sulfonate, containing quaternary ammonium groups.

These and other objects of the invention will become more apparent as the description thereof proceeds.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The above objects have been achieved and the drawbacks of the prior art overcome by the development of polyester sulfonates, containing quaternary ammonium groups which effect suspension of soil in textile washing bath liquors.

The invention relates to polyester sulfonates. containing quaternary ammonium groups, suitable for the use in washing agents, characterized by the formula I 0 so Me 0 R R'-S03 3 x in which R represents a hydrocarbon radical with 6 to 24 carbon atoms, R represents an alkylene or hydroxyalkylene radical with 2 to 4 carbon atoms, Me represents sodium or potassium, x represents a whole number from 5 to 5,000 and n represents the numbers 2,3 or 4.

In the above formula R is a hydrocarbon having 6 to 24 carbon atoms, preferably 10 to 20 carbon atoms, selected from the group consisting of alkyl, alkenyl, phenyl, phenylalkyl, alkylphenyl, cycloalkyl, cycloalkylalkyl and alkylcycloalkyl; and C,,H represents, preferably, ethylene. propylene, isopropylene, butylene and isobutylene.

The N-substituted dialkanolamine radicals, contained in the above named polyester sulfonates, are derived, for example, from diethanolamine, dipropanolamine, diisopropanolamine or dibutanolamine, and have on the nitrogen atom an aliphatic, cycloaliphatic or aromatic hydrocarbon radical R. Preferably R represents a straight-chain alkyl radical with 6 to 24 and particularly 8 to 20 carbon atoms. Examples for such alkylsare hexyl, octyl, decyl, dodecyl, tetradecyl, hexadecyl. octadecyl and eicosyl. Also mixtures of N-alkylated dialkanolamines, with different alkyl groups, may be present in the polyester sulfonates.

Preferably R represents in the above formula a propylene radical and n the number 2.

The preparation of the polyester sulfonates, according to the invention, can be carried out in a known manner by esterification of the monomeric N-substituted-dialkanolamine and maleic acid starting compounds, quaternization of the obtained polyester and sulfonation of the olefinic double bonds, contained in the maleic acid moieties.

The esterification of the reaction components, that are charged in the molar ratio 0.9 l to l 0.9, preferably l l, is performed, for instance, by heating for several hours under normal pressure, under vacuum or in the presence of a solvent with which the reaction water can be distilled off azeotropically. The reaction can be speeded up by the addition of conventional esterification catalysts, particularly of strong inorganic or organic acids such as sulfuric acid or p-toluene sulfonic acid. Instead of the free maleic acid its reactive derivatives, such as anhydrides or halides, may also be charged as starting compounds. Likewise, the maleic acid in the form of their dimethyl or diethyl esters can be transesterified with the dialkanolamines in the presence of customary transesterification catalysts in a known manner.

The quaternization of the polyester can be carried out in a known manner with haloalkane sulfonic acids having 2 to 4 carbon atoms such as l-bromopropane-3- sulfonic acid, l-chloro-2-hydroxypropane-3-sulfonic acid and l-chloroethane-2-sulfonic acid or their alkali metal salts or with alkanesultones having 2 to 4 carbon atoms such as propanesultone or butanesultone, optionally in the presence of solvents, at temperatures between 50C and 200C. Preferably 1,3-propane-sultone is used for quaternization and the reaction is carried out in the melt at temperatures from 130C to 180C.

The introduction of the second sulfonic acid group is effected by known methods, appropriately by addition .of sodium or potassium bisulfite to the double bond of the maleic acid ester moiety. This reaction is appropriately carried out in an aqueous medium, optionally also in the presence of free radical catalysts, such as peroxides. By the selection of a respective deficit or excess of bisulfite, it is possible to sulfonate only a part of the double bonds, contained in the polyester or also all maleic acid moieties. Preferably the reaction is carried out with a certain excess of sulfonation agents, in order to attain as complete a reaction as possible.

Instead of the bisulfite other sulfonation agents may be used, such as complex compounds of sulfur trioxide and dioxan, pyridine, or N,N-dimcthylaniline. It is also possible to carry out the sulfonation of the polyester before the quaternization reaction.

The polyester salts containing quaternary ammonium groups and sulfonate groups of the invention have a resin-like consistency and are insoluble in organic solvents, but easily soluble in water. They may also contain subordinate amounts of lower molecular weight esters or of unreacted starting materials. These can be removed by extraction with organic solvents and optionally again reacted. Since these byproduct compounds do, however, not impair the cleaning properties of the agents, a separation is generally not required.

Because of the insolubility of the high molecular weight polyesters in organic solvents and their content of lower molecular weight fractions, the conventional methods of molecular weight determinations give only approximate values. The average degree of polymerization of the polyester salts, which corresponds in the preceding formulae to the number x, is preferably between 10 and 1,000.

The preferred field of application ofthe novel polyester salts are in washing agent compositions that contain surface-active, wash-active compounds, such as anionic, non-ionic and amphoteric detergents, and nonsurface-active builder salts, such as condensed phosphates, sequestering agents and washing alkalis and optionally auxiliaries and supplements customary in washing agent formulations.

Suitable washing raw materials are anionic surfaceactive compounds, such as of the sulfonate or the sulfate type, for instance, alkylbenzenesulfonates, particularly n-dodecylbenzenesulfonate, also olefin sulfonates, as they are obtained, for instance, by sulfonation of primary or secondary aliphatic monoolefins with gaseous sulfur trioxide and subsequent alkaline or acidic hydrolysis, as well as alkylsulfonates as they are obtainable from n-alkanes by sulfochlorination or sulfoxidation and subsequent hydrolysis or neutralization or by bisulfite addition to olefins. Suitable are also a-sulfofatty acid esters, primary and secondary alkylsulfates as well as the sulfates of ethoxylated or propoxylated higher molecular weight alcohols.

Further compounds of this class of anionic surfaceactive compounds that can optionally be present in the washing agents, are the higher molecular weight sulfated partial ethers and partial esters of polyhydric alcohols, such as the alkali metal salts of the monoalkyl ethers or of the monofatty acid esters of glycerinmonosulfuric acid ester or of the l,2-dihydroxypropanesulfonic acid. Furthermore, the sulfates ofethoxylated or propoxylated fatty acid amides and alkylphenols as well as fatty acid taurides and fatty acid isothionates are suitable.

Further suitable anionic washing raw materials are alkali metal soaps of fatty acids of natural or synthetic origin, such as the sodium soaps of coconut, palm kernel or tallow fatty acids. As amphoteric washing raw materials are amphoteric surface-active compounds, such as alkylbetaines and particularly the alkylsulfobetaines, such as the 3-(N,N-dimethyl-N- alkylammonium)-propane-l-sulfonate and the 3-(N,N- dimethyl-N-alkylammonium)-2-hydroxypropane-lsulfonate where the alkyl has from 6 to 24 atoms.

The anionic washing raw materials may be present in the form of alkali metal salts, such as sodium and potassium, and ammonium salts as well as salts of organic bases, such as mono-, dior triethanolamine. lf the named anionic and amphoteric compounds have an allphatic hydrocarbon radical, the latter should preferably have a straight chain with 8 to 22 carbon atoms. In the compounds with an araliphatic hydrocarbon radical, preferably these are alkylphenyls having an unbranched alkyl chain of 6 to 16 carbon atoms.

As non-ionic surface-active wash-active substances, primarily polyglycolether derivatives of alcohols, fatty acids and alkylphenols are suitable that contain 3 to 30 glycolether groups, preferably ethyleneglycol ether groups, and 8 to 20 carbon atoms in the hydrocarbon radical. Particularly suitable are polyglycolether derivatives, in which the number of the ethyleneglycol ether groups is 5 to 15 and whose hydrocarbon radicals are derived from straight-chain, primary alcohols with 12 to 18 carbon atoms or from alkyl phenols with a straight-chain alkyl chain with 6 to 14 carbon atoms. By addition of from 3 to 15 mols of propylene oxide to the last named polyethylene glycol ethers or by converting them to acetals, washing agents are obtained that are distinguished by a particularly low foaming power.

Other suitable non-ionic washing raw materials are non-ionic surface-active compounds such as the watersoluble polyethylene oxide adducts to polyoxypropylene glycol, ethylenediaminepolyoxypropylene glycol or alkylenepolyoxypropylene glycol with l to 10 carbon atoms in the alkylene, said adducts containing from to 250 ethylene glycol ether groups and from l0 to 100 propylene glycol ether groups. These compounds conventionally contain from 1 to 5 ethylene glycol units per propylene glycol unit. Also non-ionic surfaceactive compounds of the types of the aminoxides and sulfoxides, that may be optionally ethoxylated, are usable.

The builder salts are ordinarily neutral to alkaline reacting and include alkali metal triphosphates, particularly pentasodium triphosphate. The. triphosphates may be present also in mixtures with higher condensed phosphates, such as tetraphosphates or their hydrolysis products, such as acidic or neutral pyrophosphates.

The condensed phosphates may be replaced totally or partially by alkali metal salts of organic sequestering compounds, such as aminopolycarboxylic acids, particularly the alkali metal salts of nitrilotriacetic acid and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid. Suitable are also the alkali metal salts of diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid as well as of the higher homologs of the named aminopolycarboxylic acids. These homologs may be prepared, for example, by polymerization of an ester, amide or nitrile of N-acetic acid aziridine and subsequent saponification to carboxylic acid salts or by reaction of polyamines with a molecular weight of 500 to 10,000 with chloroacetic or bromoacetic acid salts in an alkaline medium. Other suitable aminopolycarboxylic acids are poly-(N-succinic acid)-ethyleneimines and poly-(N-tricarballylic acid)-ethyleneimines of an average molecular weight of 500 to $00,000, that are obtainable analogous to the N-acetic acid derivatives.

Further suitable builder salts are the sequestering, water-soluble potassium and particularly sodium salts of higher molecular weight polycarboxylic acids, for example, of polymerizates of ethylenically unsaturated mono-, diand tricarboxylic acids, such as acrylic acid, maleic acid, fumaric acid, itaconic acid, citric acid, aconitic acid, mesaconic acid and methylenemalonic acid. Also copolymerizates of these carboxylic acids with one of each other or with other monomeric substances, able to be copolymerized therewith, such as ethylenically unsaturated hydrocarbons, for example, ethylene, propylene, isobutylene and styrene with ethylenically unsaturated monocarboxylic acids, such as acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, crotonic acid, and 3- butene carboxylic acid or with other ethylenically unsaturated alcohols, ethers, esters, amides and nitriles, such as vinyl alcohol, allyl alcohol, vinylmethyl ether, acrolein, vinylacetate, acrylamide and acrylonitrile, are usable. Also the copolymerizates of ethylenically unsaturated mono-, di and tricarboxylic acids and polyethylenically unsaturated compounds of different structure are suitable. The polymerizates and mixed polymerizates show an average degree of polymerization from 3 to 6,000 and contain, based on three monomer units, 1 to 9, preferably 2 to 9, carboxylic acid groups, capable of salt formation.

The homopolymeric and copolymeric polycarboxylic acids, capable of salt formation, according to above definition, can be represented by the following for- 5 mula:

R, is hydrogen or -CH;,,

R is hydrogen or -CH;;,

20 R is hydrogen, phenyl, hydroxyl, CH CH OH,

OCH

CHO, COOH, CONH or CN,

X is hydrogen or COOH,

Y is hydrogen, COOH or CH COOH, where X and Y do not both represent COOH,

Z is hydrogen or, if X COOH and Y H, also CH3Q a is any number from 0 to 2, and

b is a whole number between 3 and 6,000.

The value ofa is not limited to whole numbers, but can be any number, that is, also fractions of whole numbers from 0 to 2.

Other organic builder salts which may be present are sequestering polyphosphonic acid salts, such as the alkali metal salts of aminopolyphosphonic acids, particularly aminotri-(methylenephosphonic acid), 1- hydroxyethane-l,l-diphosphonic acid, methylenephosphonic acid, ethylene-diphosphonic acid, and alkali metal salts of the higher homonologs of the named polyphosphonic acids. Also mixtures of the abovenamed sequestering agents are usable.

Among other builder salts, alkali metal silicates are suitable, in which the ratio of Na OzSiO is l:3.5 to 1:1. For the adjustment of the pH value also carbonates, bi-

carbonates and borates of the alkali metals such as sodium or potassium, also acids, such as lactic acid and citric acid may be added. The amount of the alkalinereacting substances, including the alkali silicates and phosphates, are to be calculated so that the pH of a usable liquor for coarse laundry is 9 to 12 for fine laundry As further ingredients of washing agent compositions, bleaching agents which yield active oxygen in aqueous solutions, such as alkali metal perborates, percarbonates, perpyrophosphates and persilicates and urea perhydroperoxides, are suitable in amounts of from 0.5 to 50% by weight. Preferably sodium perborate-tetrahydrate is used. For the stabilizing of the per- 65 compounds, the agents may contain inorganic or organic stabilizers, such as magnesium silicate, or the organic complexing agents, for instance, in amounts of from 3 to 20% by weight, based on the amount of perborate.

Quad, -04

benzoxazoles,

For textile laundering at temperatures below 70C, and also at temperatures between 50C and 70C are the so-called cold washing agent may contain bleaching not yet considerably inactivated. activators such as tetraacetylglycoluril as an ingredient Further ingredients that may be contained in the of the powder. The powder particles consisting of the washing agent composition. according to the invention, bleaching activator or the percompound can be coated are neutral inorganic salts. particularly sodium sulfate, with coating substances, such as water-soluble polybacteriostatic substances, such as halogenated phemers, fatty acids or granulated salts, such as alkali nolethers and phenolthioethers, halogenated carbanimetal silicates, sodium sulfate or disodium hydrogen lides and salicylanilides as well as halogenated diphosphate, in order to avoid an interaction between the phenylmethanes; also dyes and perfumes. per-compound and the activator during storage. 10 Liquid washing agent compositions may contain hy- The washing agent compositions may also contain drotropic substances and solvents in addition, such as optical brighteners, particularly derivatives of alkali metal salts of benzene, toluylene or xylene suldiaminostilbenedisulfonic acid or their alkali metal fonic acid, urea, glycerin, polyglycerin, dior trisalts, of the formula oxyethylene glycol, polyoxyethylene glycol, ethanol,

X a e i ln which x and v are the following: NH NHCH -P l ether QlCOhOIS' NH CH2 CH2OH CH3 N CH2 CH2OH, Opt onally the washing agent compositions may also N(CH2 CH2OH), morpholinoy dimethylmorpholinoy contain known foam inhibitors, such as saturated fatty NH CGHS' NH C8H4 SO3H, OCHa CL where X and acids with 20 IO 24 carbon 3101115, 01 lh ell' alkali metal Y may be identical or different. Particularly suitable soapsqhlgher molecular welght fatty esters or are such compounds in which X represents an anilino glycendes or mallylmelanlmes' and Y is a diclhunolumino or morpholino group. For the further increasein the SOIl suspension power Also optical brighteners of the type of the diaryll other known greymg mhlbnors' pamcularly pyrazolines of the following formula are suitable: Cellulose glycome (carboxymethylcenulosel may be added. The simultaneous use of the polyester salts, according to the invention, with celluloseglycolate is C CH2 particularly advantageous in the cleaning of textiles H l from cellulosic fibers and synthetic fibers containing 2 mixed fabrics.

The qualitative and quantitative composition of these l 40 washing agents depends largely upon their field of application. The content of polyester sulfonate in the compounded washing agents amounts to 0.1 to 20%, ef r bl .2 10% b wei ht. The differen e of 80 Such as phenyl' diphenyl or naphthyl that may carry l c: 933% grefgrably 92) to %9.8% by weighf, is the other substituems' Such as hydroxy alkoxy hydroxyal' other washing agent ingredients, whose quantitative alkylamin* acylamlno Carboxyl sulfomc composition may correspond to the following scheme acid and sulfonamide groups or halogen atoms. Prefer- (data in percent by weight). ably a 1,3-diaryl-pyrazolone derivative is used in which 1 to 40% of at 1635 one compound from the class of the radical Ar represents p'sulfonamld O Phenyl anionic, non-ionic and amphoteric surface-active group and the radical Ar represents a p-chloropheiiyl Compounds P- I I 10 to 80% of at least one non-surface-active, cleaning Further suitable whiteners or optical brighteners are intensifier or sequestering builder Salt such of the type of naphthotriazolestilbenesulfonates, 10 to 5 f a percompound particularly Sodium ethl'lene'his'benzlmldazoles, elhylenefbis' perborate with or without water of crystallization 1h0Phene'bls'benzoxazolesi dlalk as well as their mixtures with stabilizers and activaylaminocoumarins and cyanoanthracenes. Also mixtors tures of optical brighteners are usable. The optical Q] to 20% f other auxmaries and Supplements. brighteners are usually present in a amount offrom 0.5 T surface-ac[ive compounds may consist up to to 15% Preferably from to 1% y Weight- 100%, preferably 5 to 70%, of compounds of the sulfo- The washing agent compositions may further contain ate and/ r sulfate type up to preferably 5 [O enzymes from the Class of the Proteases, 1iP3565 and 40% of non-ionic compounds of the polyglycol ether amylases or their mixtures. The enzymes may be ofanitype d up to 100% f b| 10 to 50% f Soap mal or plant origin, for instance, as obtained from di- Th b ild Salts may b Composed up to 100% f gestive enzymes or yeasts, such as peps n, pan ati ably 25 to 95%, of alkali metal triphosphates and their l so so y In this formula Ar and Ar represent aryl radicals,

v trypsin, papain. Catalase and d ast se- Pr f ra ly, n y mixtures with alkali metal pyrophosphates, up to 100%,

matic active substances are used as obtained from bacteria strains or molds, such as Bacillus subtilis and Streptomyces griseus, which are relatively stable towards alkalis. percompounds and anionic detergents preferably 5 to 50%, of an alkali metal salt ofa sequestering agent from the class ofthe polyphosphonic acids, nitrilotriacetic acid, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, and up to 100%, preferably 5 to of at least one compound from the class of the alkali metal silicates, alkali metal carbonates, and alkali metal borates.

To the other auxiliaries and supplements belong, besides the optical brighteners, particularly the foam inhibitors, which may be present in the agents of the invention in amounts of from up to preferably in amounts of 0.2 to 3%, also the enzymes, that may be present in an amount of from 0 up to 5%, preferably 0.2 to 3%, and the carboxymethylcellulose whose share may be from 0 up to 5%, preferably 0.2 to 3%, all by weight of the total composition.

The washing agent compositions of the invention are utilized in amounts of from 0.4 gm to 8.0 gm per liter in an aqueous washing liquor bath. The washing of the soiled textiles is conducted at temperatures of from C to C for a time sufficient to clean the textiles. 1n the washing liquor bath, the share of the polyester sulfonates containing quaternary ammonium compounds usually amounts to from 0.005 to l gm/liter.

The following examples are illustrative of the practice of the invention without being limitative in any respect.

EXAMPLES A. Preparation of the Polyester Salts The preparation of the polyester sulfonates is shown in the following on the example of a reaction product from maleic acid and N-dodecyldiethanolamine. The other compounds are synthesized in an analogous manner.

l. Esterification a. 1 mol (98.1 gm) of maleic acid anhydride 1 mol (273 gm) of N-dodecyldiethanolamine were heated with agitation to temperatures from 150C to 170C, until the formation of reaction water was completed. Instead of the anhydride also 1 mol (116.1 gm) of maleic acid may be used.

b. 1 mol of maleic acid anhydride or 1 mol of maleic acid. 1 mol of n-dodecyldiethanolamine and 1 gm of p-toluenesulfonic acid were dissolved in 250 gm of xylol and in a distilling apparatus, equipped with a device for separating the distilled water and returning of the solvent. The reaction mixture was heated so long until no water separated in the receiver. Subsequently the solvent was distilled off.

11. Ouaternization a. The polyester 1 mol), obtained according to l a) or b) was mixed with 1.06 mols (gm) of propanesultone and heated in the molten state at a temperature of from C to C for a period of 30 minutes. After a short post-reaction time, the mixture was cooled to room temperature.

111. Sulfonation The solution of the polyester sulfonate, obtained according to 11 was heated with 2 mols of sodium bisulfite gm ofNa S O to boiling until by analysis no consumption of sulfite could be detected. Excess sodium bisulfite was oxidized to sodium sulfate by the addition of hydrogen peroxide. The aqueous solution of the polyester sulfonate can be used, as is, or evaporated to dryness or spray-dried.

1n the following Table 1 the polyesters, prepared in the stated manner are listed. The molar ratio of maleic acid to N-aikyldiethanolamine was 1 1. The number x designates the degree of polycondensation. The column headed R designates the N-alkyl radical.

Table 1 Ex. Desig- Starting materials Mols bi- No. nation Quaternizing sulfitc 5 x R agents per mole of polyester 1 PS. 250 Dodecyl Propancsultone 2 l 2 PS 240 Octyl Propanesultonc 2 l 3 PS 220 Octa- Propanesultone 2 1 l0 decyl 4 PS 250 Dodecyl Butancsultone 1 B. Application Test 1 The greying-inhibiting effect of the compounds, de-

scribed in the foregoing examples was tested by the known Soil-Redeposition" method (H. Stupel Textil- Praxis vol. 3, page 264 (1954)]. In this method each time four swatches of the test fabric of 8.3 gm total 2 weight, were washed up to 3 times in a laboratory washing machine (Launder-Ometer") together with 1.3 gm of a artifically soiled cotton yarn. for 30 minutes. Subsequently the reflection value was determined with a photometer (Elrepho" utilizing a number 6 filter).

25 The close to practice dust-skin-fat combination. used for the soiling of the cotton yarn, consist of a mixture of kaolin. iron oxide black. soot and synthetic skin fat (from /a fatty acids, xii fat and A hydrocarbons). The cotton yarn contains after soiling about 11% of pigments and about 2% skin fat.

A washing agent of the following composition (in by weight) was compounded:

M41 ppyvpnvow taco UJNUILII To this agent 4% of greying inhibitor PS, to PS was 5 added. The difference to 100% was sodium sulfate.

The application concentration of the washing agents was 5 gm/liter, the water hardness 10 dH (degrees German hardness). The textile samples ofthe synthetic fabric and the mixed fabrics of finished cotton and syn- 0 thetic fiber were washed at 40C to 60C, the samples of finished cotton at 95C. The weight ratio of textile goods to washing liquor (goods/liquor ratio) was 1:30 or 1:12, as indicated. After a washing time of 30 min utes the textile samples were rinsed four times with dis- 5 tilled water. After three washings the degree of whiteness of the samples was determined by photometer. For comparison wash tests without a greying inhibitor were carried out. The results are summarized in the following Table 11.

60 It follows from the remission values that in utilizing the polyester salts, according to the invention, in all cases a reduction of the greying of the textile fibers occurs. 1f, instead ofthe agents of the invention, carboxymethylcellulose was used, no noteworthy improvement 65 on the fabrics from synthetic fibers or such from finished cotton toward the comparative value without greying inhibitor was attained, that is, the increase of the remission values was below 1%.

Table ll Fiber Goods/li- Wash. 7: Remission at use of material quor ratio temp. PS, PS PS; PS,

Polyurethane 1:30 60 67,8 66,7 68,0 68,1 64,7 polyacrylol :30 40 71,4 7 l ,2 7l ,2 7 l ,3 69.0 nitrile Polypropylene i212 95 22,0 20,8 22,9 22,5 20,7 Polyester 1:30 60 58,2 53,2 58,0 57,6 51,5 Cotton [:12 95 63,4 57,! 63,8 62,8 53,2 Cotton, highly l:l2 95 63,8 56,7 64,6 64,1 55,7 finished Polyester/ lz30 95 73,5 71,4 73,3 73,2 70,9 cotton Polyester/ 1:30 60 68,0 64,8 68,2 67,8 60,5 cotton, highly finished Polycster/ l :30 60 65,8 65,5 66,3 65.2 62,2 Polynosic" fiber a o c a N C H2 o 9 2H CH 9 OMe SO MG wherein R represents a straight-chained alkyl with 8 to 20 carbon atoms, R represents an alkylene having 2 to 4 carbon atoms, Me represents a metal selected from the group consisting of sodium and potassium, n represents the integers 2, 3 or 4 and x represents a whole number from 10 to 1000.

2. The polyester sulfonate of claim 1 wherein R is propylene and n is 2. 

1. A POLYESTER SULFONATE CONTAINING QUATERNARY AMMONIUM GROUPS, SUITABLE FOR USE IN WASHING AGENTS AS A SOIL SUSPENSION AGENT, HAVING THE FORMULA
 2. The polyester sulfonate of claim 1 wherein R'' is propylene and n is
 2. 